‘Illegal mining turning Majri into a death trap’: BJP submits memorandum to Mohali DC

The BJP leaders identified villages such as Saini Majra, Lubhangarh, Salempur Khurd, Khizrabad, Kubahedi, Miyanpur, Tarapur, Abhipur and Gochar as hotspots.

By: Express News Service

Mohali | Updated: September 24, 2025 10:24 PM IST

3 min read

Overloaded trucks have left rural roads potholed, making travel unsafe for farmers, students and commuters.

From farmlands to forest edges, from hill slopes to riverbeds, the scars of illegal mining run deep across Majri Block in Kharar tehsil. Dust clouds rise from overloaded tippers, link roads lie broken under their weight, and villagers complain of sleepless nights from the roar of unregistered crushers. The result, locals say, is a dangerous mix of environmental ruin and road accidents that has made daily life precarious.
It is against this backdrop that Punjab BJP leaders Vineet Joshi, the party’s state media head, and Mohit Gautam, Majri block president, submitted a memorandum to the Mohali Deputy Commissioner on Tuesday, demanding urgent action against what they called the “mining mafia” operating with impunity in the region.

Hotspots of illegal activity

The BJP leaders identified villages such as Saini Majra, Lubhangarh, Salempur Khurd, Khizrabad, Kubahedi, Miyanpur, Tarapur, Abhipur and Gochar as hotspots. They pointed out that official inspections had earlier detected 42 lakh cubic feet of illegal earth mining at Burana (February 2025) and 16 unregistered crushers (October 2020). Despite occasional raids and closures, operations have resurfaced — often hidden under green nets, inside forest patches, or run at night.

Accidents and threats

Overloaded trucks have left rural roads potholed, making travel unsafe for farmers, students and commuters. Fatal accidents are reported frequently along the Kurali–Kharar–Majri–Siswan–Chandigarh belt. Villagers who resisted mining, the memorandum added, had faced intimidation and even attacks, including the assault on a senior citizen in Seonk this year.

Environmental fallout

According to the BJP, unchecked excavation is eroding fertile soil, lowering groundwater levels, and polluting the air with dust and noise, threatening both health and livelihoods.

Party’s demands

The memorandum urged the district administration to seal illegal crushers and mining sites, seize overloaded tippers, conduct night checks, prosecute offenders under the IPC, Mines & Minerals Act and environmental laws, and set up a permanent enforcement task force. The leaders also sought road repairs, ecological restoration, and compensation for accident victims’ families.

“Majri Block cannot be allowed to remain a safe haven for the mining mafia. This is about saving lives, protecting farmers, and safeguarding Punjab’s environment,” Joshi said.

“The mafia’s repeated re-emergence proves that only permanent enforcement and strict accountability can end this menace,” added Gautam.

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